My close friend (single mom) has asked for my help since we travel frequently and she wants to give for Christmas to her three girls a trip in late April/early May as a Christmas present (lv from Boston area to somewhere warm/beaches/pool preferably she thinks an all exclusive) - my problem is her budget and mine are very different and I usually take months researching - am not knowledgable about better online sites or travel agents - bidding for trips, where to find great buys, and have never done an all inclusive. Can any of you recommend for her good online resources/tours/agents or destinations if she has to put together herself - she'd like to keep it to $ 6-8,000 total inc. airfare - I've heard also of online bidding, but no experience - and thought maybe she should wait till after holidays for better deals since atual destination isn't as important - but she wants shorter than longer plane ride as probably 5-6 dy max trip incl flying.
Bermuda? Islands? Calif? Florida? Ideas/resources if you can THANKS>

Check the back page of travel section each Sunday - all sorts of all-inclusive bargains from various companies, most include air. Various Caribbean islands seem to have least expensive deals - Bermuda is out as it is extremely expensive. Just remember, you usually get what you pay for - but in her case, as long as she knows this is a budget trip, it might be better than no trip at all.

escargot, my first thought was to check out the Dominican Republic and the Mexican Riviera. They both enjoy a great reputation for the most bang for the buck, especially regarding quality all-inclusives in the Caribbean. Go over to the Latin America board and see what you can find. Something to keep in mind: summer rates start in april or may, that may make a huge difference. Also, if any of the children are under 12 that can great reduce the price.

Here are a few more tips:

Check out Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel Magazine. He compiles a list of deals for many different destinations. Cheapcaribbean.com is mentioned often in there. They have lots of packages including airfare and all-inclusives.

Yes, I would wait until after the first of the year to see what new deals come out.

I have found by waiting until early May to travel (vs. late April) cuts costs by quite a bit. However, I know that some Mass. schools have a vacation in late April.

Cancun resorts might be offering some specials as they are trying to attract tourists back to the area.

Also, check out the cruise specials on websites like vacationstogo.com. Cruises are somewhat "all-inclusive", and often are deeply discounted in May. We once saved almost $200 per person on a 3-day Bahamas cruise from Miami by choosing a May date over an April one. There are also 4 and 5 day itineraries.

Good Luck. What a good friend you are!

Would she go on a cruise? Are there cruised out of Boston?

lvk beat me to it! Grab a copy of "Budget Travel" magazine and look at both the various advertisements for packages and also the monthly 40 Best Deals article.

I'm guessing package deals into the islands of Caribbean or down to Mexico might come in cheaper for a 4-5 day trip than Florida or California done independently.